Electron tube and method of connection



May 16, 1933. F. M. GENTRY ELECTRON TUBE AND METHOD OF CONNECTION Fild Marqh 24, 1927 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 5% .rDalrDO INVENTOR.

WH'NESSES:

UZIMTQJQIM May 16, 1933. F. M. GENTRY ELECTRON TUBE AND METHOD OF CONNECTION Filed March 24, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 DQ000000 DQ000000 DQ000000 EBB BUD DUB UB0 mmuuumnm UDUDUDUD UUUUUU U WITNESSES:

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INVENTOR.

F. M. GENTRY 1,909,824.

ELECTRON TUBE AND METHOD OF CONNECTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 16, 1933.

Filed March 24, 1927 INVENTOR.

OUTPUT F \G. 8.

May 16, 1933. F M GE TRY 1,909,824

ELECTRON TUBE AND METHOD OF CONNECTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 24, 1927 OUTPUT INVENTOR.

Patented May 16, 1933" UNITED STATES FRANKLIN'MARION GENTRY, 'OF.BROOKLYN, NEW YORK ELECTRON TUBE AND METHOD OF CONNECTION Application filed March '24, 1927. Serial No. 177,963.

This invention relates to a method of constructing electron tubes or valves, such as are used in the amplification, rectification or translation of feeble electric charges or currents by the principle of electrically controlling the reception of charged electric bodies upon a receiving surface, and connecting the same.

In the following description and explanation of the invention, it is now defined that by electron tube, as hereafter used, is meant any multiple element electrical amplifying, rectifying or translating device or like, operating on the emission of electrons, ions, atoms, molecules, or other charged bodies which by virtue of their nature do thus emit such electrical or material particles or which by the excitation of such agencies as heat, light, X-rays, radium, magnetic fields, eleccaused to emit such carriers of electricity. It is understood that said electron tube consists essentially of an emitting body, here after termed the filament, and a receiving body, hereafter termed the'plate. The term filament is used in its broadest functional sense and is construed generally to mean the emitting element of an electron tube and-it may take the form of a thin sensitive film in the case of photo-electron tubes, of a filament in the case of thermo-electron tubes, or any other form which conveniences of designvmay require. The said electron tube is further understood to includ'esome regulating device or electrical valve mechanism which can control, by electrostatic fields, electromagnetic fields, or otherwise, the reception of emissive bodies upon the plate. This regulating device or electrical valve 40 is hereafter referred to as the grid "of the electron tube, thereby adopting, for convenience, the terminology used in the art when speaking of what is ordinarily termed a triod thermionic tube. As hereafter used,

trostatic fields, or any other agency, maybe It is well known, particularly in the art of radio-communication that feeble electric charges or currents can be amplified, rectified or translated in electron. tubes. Thus, if a difference of electric potential be maintained between the filament and. plate, a stream of electrons tends to flow betweentlie two 'elements. Feeble electric charges or currents imposed on a grid interposed'between the filament and plate tend to aug ment or decrease this flow of electrons accordingly as it establishes an electric field between itself and the filament whose electric gradient is of the same oropposite sign to the electric gradient existing between the filament and plate. This action of the grid permits comparatively large electric currents to fiow between the filament'and plate more or less in relation to the potential of the feeble charge impressed upon the grid. In thisinanner the feeble currents are ampli fled in thermionic valves whose operation and characteristics are well known in the art. The relation between current in the plate circuit and applied grid voltage has a certain asymmetry which is utilized in the art for the rectification of oscillating currents.

It has long beenknown to the art that a certain substances are normally high or rich in the concentrat1o-n of electrons or carriers of electriccurrentswhereas other substances are notableby their normally low or weak concentration of these necessary carriers of electricity. When two such substances are placed in contact various phenomena are known to manifest themselves. Consider for example a plate of copper covered on one side with a thin coating of oxide suchas can be obtained by heating it in the presence of oxygenor by oxidizing its surface with strong sulphuric acid, Copper and copper oxide have long been known to ex-- hibit peculiar electronic phenomena. Thusa sheet of copper, coated with oxide, when exposed to sunlight is known to generate electric energy. My explanation of this phenomenon is that the copper is rich in the concentration of carriers'of electricity while the copper oxide s weak 1n the concentration of free electrons, necessary for the conduction of electricity. When the copper oxide surface is exposed to the active rays of the sun, photo-electrons are generated or are absorbed and generate by their impact secondary free electrons within the oxide. These free electrons so alter the relative concentration of free electrons between the copper plate and the film of oxide that an electric current flows between the two in an effort to reestablish thereby the old state of equilibrium. Thus as fast as the copper plate and oxide film tend to: establish the normal relative electronic concentration, new electrons are received or are generated by the active rays of the sun and in effect the solar energy is transformed into electric energy.

It is also well known to the art that, on account of the difference in electronic concentration of the copper plate and its oxide film, an electric current tends to flow more freely in one direction than in the other. This has been applied in the arts to the rectification of alternating electric currents and the phenomenon of rectification can be easily explained in a manner similar to the explanation which I have given of its photoelectric action.

I find that the underlying principle in all these electronic effects at the junction of materials rich in the concentration of free electrons or. carriers of electricity and those materials weak in such electronic concentrations is due entirely to the relative concentrations of electric carriers in the two materials and that the effects can be controlled by suitable regulation of the electronic concentration in one or more of the associated materials.

So far as I am aware, no one else has ever before applied thesetwo phenomena in combination for the purpose of advancing the artof amplifying, rectifying and otherwise translating feeble electric charges or currents. v

, Accordingly, the purpose of my invention is to utilize the relative concentration of electric carriers in a plurality of associated materialsrin the improvement of electron tubes for the amplification, rectification or translation of electric currents and for other useful purposes. a

With this and other intentions and purposes in mind, the invention consists in the method described in the following specification and defined in the claims. The basic principle of this invention can best be described in connection with its application to thermionic valves as described below, but the same principle may be adapted to other forms of electron tubes equally as WelL.

Fig; 1 shows a diagrammatical arrangement of one specific form of electron tube and its connections, according to my invention, together with a cross-section of the plate showing the arrangement of the varito like parts.

The electron tube, 1, shown in Fig. 1 consists essentially of an emitting body or filament, 2, a receiving body or plate, 3, and a controlling element or grid, 4, all contained within the closed walls, 5. The space. within the closed walls," 5, is highly exhausted to prevent the filament, 2, from oxidizing when heated and to prevent the generation of too many secondary electrons within the space due to collision at high velocity of the electrons from the emitting body and the particles or molecules of residual gas- The filament, 2, is ordinarily heated to incan descence by an electric current from the battery, 6, whose current applied to the filament, 2, is adjusted by means of the series resistance, 7 A potential difference is maintained between the emitting body, 2, and the composite electron receiving body or plate, 3, by means of the battery or potential source, 8. This tends to establish an electricpotential gradient between the filament, 2, and plate, 3, so that electrons emitted by the filament, 2, tend to migrate at high velocity toward the plate, 3. The receiving body or plate, 3, is composed of a substance, 9, rich in concentration of electric carriers or free electrons, such as metallic copper, and a film, 10, of a substance weak in concentration of electric carriers or free sulated b a washer 15 from the. co er plate, 9. The batter or other source of electric power, 16, supplies asouroe of elec-. tr1c potent1al to the cop "er plate, '9, and the ox de'film contact plate, 11, in such a way, A

that, due to the relative. concentration'of free electrons in the copper plate, 9, and the oxide film, 10, theresistance to the flow of electric current in the closed circuit, consisting of the plate, 9, the oxide film, 10, the

film contact plate, 11, battery, 16, and the output circuit, is very great so that only a very small current normally fiowsbetween the plate, 9, and the contact, 11, throughthe oxide film, 10.

Thefilm contact element, 11, consists of a contact surface and'free spaces, .12, or per forations, such as will permit the passage of electrons, and said free spaces may assume any convenient shape such as those shown in Fig. 2, or any other form that conveniences of design may make desirable.

Electrons or electric carriers, emitted, from the hot body, 2, pass through the perforations or free spaces, 12, in the film contact element, 11, and are received by the oxide film, 10. The weak concentration of electric carriers in the substance, 10, is thus increased by the reception of additional electric. carriers from the outside source, 2, thereby changing the relative concentration of, free electrons or electric carriers in the substance, .9, normally high in their concentration and the substance, 10, normally low in their concentration. The system then tends to adjust itself to the old e uilibrium which adjustment is manifest by t e flow of an electric current between the plate, 9, and

the film contact, 11, through the outputcircuit. The concentration of free electrons or electric carriers in the film, 10, Varies according to the number of electrons received from the source, 2, and upon their velocity. The im aact of electrons upon the film, 10, from the emitting source, 2, causes the production of secondary or impact electrons in he film, 10, thus augmenting the free electronic concentration inthe oxide film, l0, enormously. The proportion of secondary; electrons to primary electrons dependsupon the velocity of the primary electrons, which in turn dependsupon the intensity of the electric field causing their migration, and upon the ease with which the substance, 10, permits the release of impact electrons;

If the electric valve or grid, 4, is connected with a feeble electric charge so as to create an electric potential between the grid, 4, and the electron emitting body or filament, 2, then the electrostatic field between the emitting body, 2, and the grid, 4, will be. increased or decreased accordingly as the sign of the electric field between filament, 2, and grid, 4, is equal or opposite to the sign of the electric field between filament, 2, and plate, 3. Although the electric charge on the grid, 4, may be comparatively high in potential, very little current actually flows between the grid, 4, andthe filament, 2, due to the comparatively high resistanceof the intervening exhausted space. Since the electric current flowing in the output circuit is dependent on the reception of electrons upon the oxide film, 110, and this reception is likewise controlled by the potential of the grid, 4, feeble electric charges impressed on the grid will cause greatly amplified electric currents to flow in the output circuit, the current in the output circuit being more or less in relation to the potential ofthe grid, 4.

A,battery, l7,or other potential source, may

be connected in the grid circuit in such a cuit for zero potential applied to the inputcircuit. Instead,if desired, battery, 17 may be omitted and the polarity of battery, 6, reversed, the effect being the same.

the outputcircuit for various negative and positiveapplied grid potentials, has a certain, asymmetry which may be' utiliz'ed for.

the rectification of oscillating electric currents, by suitably, adjusting the sources of electric energy and the regulating resistances 4b, and a plurality. of composite plates, 3a

and 3b, whilein Fig. 4 is shown the electron; tube, 1, provided with a plurality of grids,4a and 4b, and a plurality of filaments,

2a and 2b.; In Fig. 4 the-battery, 8, serves also as battery, 16, shown in Fig.1. It is understood that, while the provision of a plurality of plates, grids, and/or filaments in-the electron tubemakes it applicable to additional uses, the underlying principle of employing in an'electron tube a composite plate composed of two or more materials of different electric carrier concentration associated with a grid and a filament is essentially the same and, while I have illustrated my invention as embodied in a limited number of forms, it is understood that the em- The relation between current flowing in i bodiment maybe widely varied without departing from the scope of the appended.

claims, thus, for example, the connections may be suitably variedto permit the operation of a plurality of such electron tubes electrically connected, or the composite plate maybe built up of alternate layers of copper and copper oxide in such a way that the the oxide film in a direction perpendicular to the direction. of flow of electric current through the oxidefilm. r

Having describedthe preferred formof '115. l. stream of electrons from the filament strikes my. invention, among others as describedin i the foregoing, I claim 1. In an electron tube, an electron receiving body consisting of a copper plate coated with a 'film' of copper oxide, and

means for contact therewith arranged to permit the passage of electrons to 1 said oxide, said electron receiving body being associated with an electron emitting body and a control electrode disposed between the electron receiving body and the electron emitting body. V

2. In an electron tube, an electron receiving body consisting of a plurality ofma terials in contact whose relative difference in concentration of free electrons or 616M110- carriers is large, means for contact therewith arranged to permit the passage of elec- H trons to said electron receiving body, said contacting materials being connected in a closed circuit with an output circuit and a source of electric energy; said electron receiving body being associated in a closed 7 vessel with an electron emitting body and a control electrode. r

3. In electron tube, an electron receiving body consisting of a plurality of elements, said elements constituting a closed electric circuit with the'output circuit and being associated in a closed vessel with an electron source and a grld; said electron receivin body together with 'the ntervening evacuated s'Jace constitutin a closed electric circuit with the emitting body; and said grid together with the intervening evac- 'uated space, emitting body, and input circuit constituting a closed electric circuit.

4-. In an electron tube, a composite receiving body consisting of .a plurality of elements, said elements being composed of materials with diiierent free electronic or electric carrier concentrations in contact, means for electric contact therewith with means for cassa 'e of electrons throu "h said contact l t: 3

associated with means for varying the free electronic or electric carrier concentration in one or more of said elements of the composite receiving body.

5. In an electron tube, a composite receiving body consisting of a plurality of elements whose normal concentration of electric carriers is essentially difierent, and

means for var ing the relative concentratic-n of electric carriers in said elements to cause a variation in the effective electric resistance between said elements and a current variation in a closed electric circuit consist-- of am 3lif ingweal electric currents which comprises establishing a flow of primary electrons to said electron receiving body,

thereby to vary the relative concentration of electric carriers in the elements of said electi'on receivin body, and varying the rate of ilow of said primary electrons in accordance with variations in the magnitude of the feeble electric current.

7 In an electron tube, the method of amplifying'feeble electric currents applied to the grid by causing corresponding large electric currents to flow in a closed circuit consisting of a plurality, of elements of an electron receiving body and the output circuit, which comprises varying the relative concentration of. electric carriers in the elements of the electron receiving body.

8. In an electron tube, an electron receiv ing body or composite plate consisting of a plurality of elements one of which is low in concentration of electric carriers relative to one of the others and means for increasing the concentration of electric carriers in said eleinentby the reception of primary free electrons or electric carriers from an emitting source and generation of secondary free electrons therein by impact of the primary electrons on said element, the elements of said composite plate constituting a closed electric circuit together with the output circuit, said composite plate being associated with a grid or electrical valve which controls the reception of primary electrons upon said composite plate and which together with the emitting body or filament, the intervening space, and the input circuit constitutes a closed electric circuit, and a primary electron emitting body which together with the intervening space and the composite plate or its elements constitutes a closed electric circuit. I

9. In an electron tube, an'electron receiving body or composite plate consisting of a copper plate coated with a copper oxide film with means of electrical contact therewith permitting the reception of free electrons thereon, said copper plate, oXide film and oxide film contact constituting a closed circuit with a source of potential and the output circuit with such a polarity that it is diflicult for an electric current to normally flow in'said circuit, means for varying the effective resistance of said circuit by the reception'ot primary free electrons on said oxide film from an emitting source and generation of secondary free electrons therein by impact of the primary electrons on said oxide film, said composite plate being associated with .a means of controlling the number of electrons received on said composite plate and their velocity by the creation of an electric and magnetic field with a charged body or grid, said grid together with the primary electron emitting body or filament, the intervening evacuated space, source of I aotential and input circuit constitutin a closed electric circuit, and a source'of pri mary electrons whichtogether with the com posite plate, source of potential, and the 7 intervening evacuated space constitutes a closed circuit,substantially as described.

1O. An electron tube device of the here-. indescribed type,-comprising a closed vessel, an electron emitting element located therein, a composite electron receiving element located therein and comprlsing a material of normally high electron concentration and a material of normally low electron therein, a composite electron receiving element located therein and comprising metallic copper and an oxide of copper in contact, and means adapted to permit the application of a potential difference between said metallic copper and copper oxide.

12. An electrical circuit comprising, in combination, an electron tube device including a closed vessel, an electron emitting element located therein, a composite electron receiving element located therein and com prising a material of normally high electron concentration and a material of normally low electron concentration in contact, and means for making connection with each of said materials separately; and an output circuit for said electron tube device connected between said material of normally low electron concentration and said material of normally high electron concentration.

13. An electrical circuit comprising, in

- combination, an electron tube device including a closed vessel, an electron emitting element located therein, a composite electron receiving element located therein and comprising a material of normally high electron concentration and a material of normally low electron concentration in contact, and

means for making connection with each of, 7

saidmaterials separately; and an output circuit for said electron tube device connect ed between said material of normally low electron concentration and said material, of normally high electron concentration and including a source of potential.

14. An electrical circuit comprising, in

electron emitting element and said electron receiving element; an input circuit for said electron tube device associated 'with said electron emitting element and said control means; and an outputcircuit for said electron tube device connected between said material of normally low electron concentration concentration and including a source of potential. v

combination, an electron tube device including a closed vessel, an electron emitting element located therein, a composite electron receiving "element located therein and-comprising a material of normally high electron concentration and a material of normally low electron concentration in contact, and means for making connection witheach of said materials separately; a circuit for said electron tube device associated with said electron emitting element and said composite electron-receiving element; and a second circuit for said electron tube device connected between said material of normally low electron concentration and said material of normally high electron concentration.

16. An electron tube device ofthe hereindescribed type, comprising a closed vessel,

cated therein and comprising a material of normally high electron concentration and a electrical circuit comprising, in

material ofnormally low electron concenv tration in contact, terminal means connected to the respective materials to permit the application of a potential diflerence therebetween, and means for controlling the flow of electric currents between the said material of normally high electron concentration and the said material of normally low electron concentration. a i

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature this23rd day of March, 1927, in the city of New York, county of New York, and State of New York.

FRANKLIN MARION GENTRY.

and said material of normally high electron 

